One advertiser is already reaping the benefits from being able to publish Promoted Tweets to specific Twitter users without first having to publish the tweet to all of its followers.

The Washington Post is one of the advertisers that’s been testing Twitter’s new targeting options that were just formally announced last week. And, according to numbers shared with us by SocialCode, which counts the Post as a client, the newspaper’s results have been promising.

SocialCode examined a sampling of tweets that were linked to articles on the Washington Post Social Reader. Some Promoted Tweets were targeted specifically to iOS users, others to Blackberry users and others just to Android users. With Twitter’s new targeting options, WaPo didn’t need to first publish tweets that would be seen by all of its followers; it created tweets that would be targeted to specific device users (regardless if they follow or not).

Engagement rate on those Promoted Tweets ranged from 3.6 percent with Android users to 5.5 percent with iOS users.

Overall, SocialCode says that engagement generally tripled via the new targeting option — going from about 1.1 percent on tweets sent to all devices (far right column below) to above three percent for iOS- and Android-targeted tweets, and above 3.5 percent for Blackberry-targeted tweets.

The Washington Post Social Reader account also grew its follower base on Twitter during the ad testing. Average daily new followers jumped from 17 to 47, an increase of 276 percent.

Although the new Promoted Tweets don’t first have to publish to all of a company’s followers, the tweets still behave like normal tweets when they are published. Users can reply, retweet or mark them as a “favorite,” and Twitter still uses resonance signals to determine how well a Promoted Tweet is performing — the ones that perform best are likely to show more often, while those that don’t perform well will be displayed less often or eventually be stopped altogether.

About The Author

Matt McGee is the Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. After leaving traditional media in the mid-1990s, he began developing and marketing websites and continued to provide consulting services for more than 15 years. His SEO and social media clients ranged from mom-and-pop small businesses to one of the Top 5 online retailers. Matt is a longtime speaker at marketing events around the U.S., including keynote and panelist roles. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. You can read Matt's disclosures on his personal blog. You can reach Matt via email using our Contact page.

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